


More People. Yay. Not.

by superfandomqueen



Series: Shirogane-McClain Pack [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Keith Blacks Out, Keith has anxiety, Keith is being an ass but he's trying, Lance is comforting, Lance is depressed and familiar with anxiety cause Hunk, Lance is helpful, M/M, More World Building, Too many people for him, anxious keith, but still an ass, more food
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-28 23:51:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18215336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/superfandomqueen/pseuds/superfandomqueen
Summary: Keith meets more of the pack, it goes better then expected, but still not great.





	More People. Yay. Not.

**Author's Note:**

> Continuation of my reblog to @write-it-motherfuckers on Tumblr(link: https://write-it-motherfuckers.tumblr.com/post/181990852183/they-had-promised-to-help-you-promised-to-fix);  
> I don't have anxiety, I've only ever had something similar to an anxiety attack once. I'm sorry if this isn't written well.  
> Tumblrs: @superfandomdqueensnook(writing and fanfic reblogs) and @superfandomqueen.

True to their words, Keith was released from the infirmary in a week. Despite Hunk and Lance’s assurances that the pack would like him, Keith was still terrified that they’d want to kick him out immediately.

Shiro hadn’t visited since the first day.

Keith wasn’t sure if he was unhappy about that or not. He found the alpha intimidating.

“Keith, you’ll be fine. The  _worst_  you’ll get is Pidge not responding,” Lance repeated softly. Probably the hundredth time already.

“Uh huh,” Keith answered, nodding. His stomach rolling with nausea. “You know, m-maybe we should wait.”

Lance tutted. “You don’t want me to treat you like a baby, so you’re going out 9f your comfort zone.”

Keith knew Lance was welling meaning and he shouldn’t be ungrateful, but he was starting to resent Lance’s helpfulness.

Especially when he threw an arm around Keith’s shoulder and practically drug him through the door, whistling sharply. Flinching, Keith glared at Lance, the sharp whistle hurt. Lance at least had the decency to look apologetic.

Swallowing back his nerves, Keith looked past Lance. The pack seemed preoccupied, but it was probably because they trying not to overwhelm him. A knot caught in his chest, they were offering him a caring start. Being careful of him curling into himself and not responding. Treading carefully, for him.

 _When was the last time someone_ actually _had done that for him?_

Keith couldn’t answer that question. A possibly irrational urge flooded him, he didn’t want them to know how his foster parents had poisoned after he told them what happened. They would think he was stupid. It was his—

He didn’t know when he started releasing a distressed scent, but Lance’s calming one flowed over him with a matching concerned look. Hunk’s was present too, but a lot softer and more unnoticeable.

“We can wait to introduce you to them later.”

The hand cupping his shoulder began to rub up and down on his arm. Keith inhaled deeply, leaning into the touch. Shaking his head, Keith hunkered into Lance’s side a little more. Ignoring the concerned looks coming his way from the pack, Lance offered him a soft smile.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to meet them yet, if it’s too much,” Lance whispered. Keith felt an irrational anger at the suggestion, it felt like Lance was saying he was even. Logically, he knew that wasn’t the case. The whispering did it for him, Keith knew that they could all hear anyway.

But since when was Keith logical. Only so much logical thought was allowed per day, it interfered with being crazy.

“I’ll do it,” Keith bit out harshly. Lance recoiled, looking slapped from the drastic change. The taller man removed his arm from around Keith, who nearly whined from the loss of comfort, but Keith stopped himself. It was his fault. Shifting his eyes to the ground, Keith knew it was uncalled for.

This was all making him want to curl up, claw at himself, or start bawling. Not knowing what to do, Keith tried to swallow past the lump in his throat.

Then his saving grace, a man with orange hair and a mustach appeared before them. Keith jerked back, the only that kept from him from falling was Hunk’s hand on his back.

“You must be Keith!” the ginger haired man leaned closely. “A young cub, aren’t you?! Never the less!” He straightened up, setting the tips of his fingers on his chest. “I’m Coran—“

“He doesn’t need the full introduction, Coran. I’m fairly sure none of us remember your full name to begin with,” a woman with white streaked brown hair commented. Finally standing from where she had been perched. Nodding to Keith, she smiled softly. “I’m Allura. I’m a beta. Coran here is an omega. He prefers to be the caring and nurturing of the young. Take that as everyone in the pack that’s younger then him.”

Hunk and Lance chuckled softly. Keith saw Lance’s soft, warm look at the two of them.

“What’s a beta? An omega? I’m sorry, I don’t really understand those,” Keith asked quietly, his shoulders hunching again.

“The alpha is the leader, betas are second in command, and the omegas are the caretakers. Some prefer to rise through the ranks of the pack and become betas or even eventually an alpha rather then stay an omega.”

The words came from the corner, Keith wasn’t sure if they were a woman or man or neither. The person pushed up their glasses, causing the lenses to flash intimidatingly.

“That’s Pidge! Well, their real name is Katie, but they are never really called by that,” Lance explained. Now stepped away from Keith, he was gesturing with his hands. “The glasses are fake.” Lance winked cheekily. “They think it makes them look cool. Unfortunately, that  _is_ correct.”

Keith let out a strange laugh. He chalked it up to hysteria.

They all seemed read his face. Grinning, Lance gesture again.

“Let’s get some food into you and get you resting!”

Keith nodded numbly. He was thankful they were backoffing, he hadn’t had this much positive attention in a long while. Rubbing his chest where it felt tight, Keith tried to hold back tears that were trying to bubble up already.

Despite Keith’s snappishness earlier, Lance was back his side. With Hunk and Lance guiding him out of the common room and into the kitchen, Keith sucked in a breath.

The tell-tale shaking had started.

Keith closed his eyes, cursing himself for being weak for not holding it together. He could distantly hear rapid breathing, not connecting to who it was coming from.

His mind started hammering ‘weak’ over and over in his brain.

A soft touch swiped over his cheek, soft words floating in around it. Keith curled into a ball, rocking back and forth, focused on a single spot. Everything starting to go fuzzy.

“Deep breathes, deep breathes, in and out….”

Shaking for God knows how long, things started to come back into focus. Keith was on the ground, again, staring at the ceiling. Lance was crouched above him, his scent and face sympathetic and worried covering his usual calming and warm scent. He immediately became aware of the dried tear tracks.

Sniffling roughly, Keith rubbed his eyes. His head felt like a mess, his emotions even worse. But at least he knew a single thing that he wanted.

To sleep.

Lance offered him a drink of water. Keith took it, resuming his ball form. It felt like all he was doing was having meltdowns. Squeezing his eyes shut, Keith tried to clear his head. It didn’t work.

All he got was guilt. Guilt for acting out, guilt for the anxiety attack, the—

Keith stopped the train of thought before it got away from him.


End file.
